Getting your endorsement code

Once you know you need an endorsementEndorsementA statement, made on arXiv's own form by an established arXiv author, that you are someone who can reasonably contribute to a subject area. It is not peer review and doesn't guarantee acceptance. (see What is arXiv endorsement?), the next step is getting the details an endorserEndorserAn arXiv author who is eligible to endorse in a subject area, which depends on their own recent papers there. On ResearchGuild, endorsers are volunteers who opt in to read abstracts. will need. arXiv handles this with an endorsement request email containing a code and a link. This article walks through how to get it and what to do with it.

ResearchGuild is independent and not affiliated with arXiv. arXiv's interface can change, so treat the steps below as a guide and follow what arXiv's pages and emails tell you.

Step 1: Register with arXiv

You need an arXiv account before you can submit. arXiv's Directions for Author Registration explain how. A few tips:

• Use your real name, the way it appears on your papers.
• If you have an institutional email address, consider using it. Note that as of January 2026, per arXiv, an institutional email alone no longer grants automatic endorsement for new authors, but it is still part of the automatic path.
• Keep your account details accurate. Endorsers may look at them.

Step 2: Start a new submission and choose your category

arXiv's submission overview says to start a new submission and select the categoryCategory (subject class)arXiv's topic label for a paper, such as cs.AI (Artificial Intelligence) or cs.CL (Computation and Language). Moderators and readers use it to route and find papers. you wish to submit to. Choose carefully, because endorsement is tied to the endorsement domainEndorsement domainA group of related arXiv subject areas that share one endorsement. Being endorsed in one domain doesn't automatically cover another. that category belongs to. See Choosing your primary category if you are unsure.

If endorsement is required for your situation, arXiv tells you at this point.

Step 3: Check your email

arXiv says you should check your email for an endorsement request email. According to arXiv's endorsement page, that email:

• contains your endorsement codeEndorsement codeA short code arXiv gives you when it asks for an endorsement. An endorser enters it on arXiv's form to endorse you. Here it stays hidden until a reviewer has opened your full paper., which arXiv describes as six alphanumeric characters; and
• includes a link you can provide to prospective endorsers.

Detailed instructions come with the email. If it doesn't arrive, check your spam folder and confirm the email address on your arXiv account, then consult arXiv's help pages.

Step 4: Keep your submission ready

You don't have to finish the submission right away. Many authors prepare everything, request endorsement, and complete the submission once an endorsement has been recorded. Keep your final files, metadata and licenseLicenseThe permission you choose when submitting, which says how others may reuse your paper (for example, a Creative Commons license). arXiv treats each version's license as irrevocable. choice ready (see TeX or PDF? and Licenses on arXiv).

What the endorser does with it

arXiv's endorsement page explains that when an author asks for endorsement, they send the endorser their code. After entering it on arXiv's endorsement form, the endorser can tell arXiv that they do or do not wish to endorse the person. That decision is made on arXiv, not on ResearchGuild or anywhere else.

arXiv says that whether a person has endorsed you or not is private between the endorser and arXiv's administrators and isn't shared with you, although you may be able to infer it.

Sharing your code responsibly

Your code is how an endorser finds your request, so share it thoughtfully:

• Send it only to people you've asked personally, whom you have good reason to think are eligible and relevant (see How to find an endorser the right way).
• Don't post it publicly on social media or forums asking "anyone endorse me?". arXiv warns against emailing large numbers of potential endorsers at once, and public blasts have the same spirit.
• Include context. A bare code with no paper and no introduction is unlikely to get a response. See What to send an endorser.

Using your code on ResearchGuild

When you create a paper on ResearchGuild, your manuscript is only visible to the people you share it with. Reviewers there have opted in to help. They give feedback first, and if a reviewer decides to endorse you, that decision is made by them on arXiv's own form using the code and link from your arXiv email.

If something goes wrong

• No email? Check spam, then your account email, then arXiv's help pages.
• Wrong category? You may need to start a submission in the right category to get the right request. arXiv's endorsement page is the place to check.
• Stuck for weeks? It's normal for endorsement to take time. Don't start mass-emailing; revisit your approach using our guide on finding an endorser.